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On East Perth - Brief History of Perth OvalThe
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Historic Perth Oval gates - 1998.

East Perth
first based themselves at Wellington Square before moving to Perth Oval
in 1910, and it remained their home ground up until 2002 although the last
game they actually played there was in 1999.

However Perth Oval
was more than just a home for the Royals - it has long been a valuable
part of the local community.

Perth Oval began
life as a paddock that belonged to Lord Mayor William Loton.

`Loton's Paddock`
was once host to a soccer game in the form of the first Charity Cup final
on Saturday 12 September 1903 when Olympic FC beat Civil Service 2-0 in
front of 2000 people.

Soccer's interest
in the land saw the then WA British Football Association offered the land
in 1905 but they were unable to raise the £2000 required.

It was eventually
bought by the Perth City Council in 1910 to accommodate the Australian
Rules surge brought on by the gold rush. Mayor Loton sold the paddock to
the City of Perth on condition that it remained for recreational use as
their house stood behind it and they didn't want their view of the city
blocked. (The house still stands - corner Lord & Bulwer Street).

It was then named
Loton Park but soon after this was changed to Perth Oval.

The East Perth Football
Club moved in and of course had a long history there, but it has also been
the home of the Perth and West Perth Football Clubs, the North Perth Cricket
Club from 1910 up until 1974/75, the University Cricket Club from 1913-1929,
the Loton Park Tennis Club and even a lawn bowls club.

Professional wrestling
bouts have even taken place there, and the venue was again used to host
soccer when in 1927 the West Australian State Team were thumped 3-11 by
Czechoslavakia-Bohemia.

Outdoor movies were
screened there from 1911-1921, and in 1929 it was a scene for Western Australia's
Centenary celebrations.

1929 Centenary Celebrations. Note the
East/West alignment of the oval.

Perth Oval was taken
over for national defence in 1943 and was the scene of victory celebrations
2 years later.

Perth Oval also shares
the distinction with Fremantle Oval, Bassendean Oval and Claremont Showgrounds
in having hosted the 'Big Day Out' music festival (1995).

The magnificent white
gates on Bulwer Street were built in 1930. They are 'inter-war Mediterranean
style'.

The grandstand was
built in 1956 as part of celebrating East Perth's Silver Jubilee. It was
named the F.D. Book Stand after Fred Book who served a record term
of 20 years as President of the Club. Fred first took up office at East
Perth in 1928 when he was elected treasurer and retired in 1973 after giving
a lifetime of dedication and hard work.

Indeed Fred Book
potentially saved Perth Oval from extinction when during World War 2 it
nearly became an army depot. It was only through his role as a City of
Perth Councillor at the time that prevented this happening.

The F.D. Book Stand
replaced the original timber grandstand which was moved and rebuilt at
Bayswater Oval, then headquarters of the WA Soccer Football Association.
Prior to all this the ground ran East to West. After the grandstand and
clubrooms were built the layout was altered to run North and South.

Perth Oval was heritage
listed in 1998 as announced by then minister for heritage, the Liberal
Party's Graham Kierath, in an interesting spot where he met former communist,
union leader, Labor Party man and Mayor of Vincent, the late Jack Marks
(then vice-president of the club) and Royals 100 gamer Richard Graham.

Jack Marks, Graham
Kierath, Richard Graham.

Side Note: Jack Marks
was a club member for 30 years and a medallist in the Royals' elite 25
club. He had frequented Perth Oval "since I was 6". A memorial to him of
some kind was supposed to have been put outside Perth Oval but news on
that issue seems to have died.

Hence it led to East
Perth officially moving to Leederville Oval in 2003, although they hadn't
played at Perth Oval since 1999.

Redevelopment of Perth Oval began in 2003.

Part of the development
sees some of the land become public park space. It will appropriately be
named Loton Park, however it will also be co-named Yoordgoorading to recognise
the original Aboriginal owners of the land.

Naming rights will
be sold for the new stadium itself.

Also with the redevelopment
of Perth Oval, the Town of Vincent will recognize the contributions Aboriginal
players have made to the East Perth Football Club and football in WA, by
erecting a plaque that will list all the Indigenous players to pull on
an East Perth guernsey.

With some great players
like Polly Farmer, Ted Kilmurray, Syd Jackson and Larry Kickett there has
always been a rich array of talent produced by East Perth.

Three former football
greats and East Perth legends - Graham "Polly" Farmer, Ted "Square" Kilmurray
and Laurie Kennedy - returned to the place it all began to listen to the
town of Vincent's Mayor, Nick Catania announcement and reminisce on some
of the glory days.

Kilmurray a 256 game
veteran said he was a little disappointed with the redevelopment.

"You can't live in
the past, but there were a lot of great memories"

Farmer, who played
176 games with East Perth before moving across to the VFL said he understood
that soccer needed the oval and times had changed. However he said "Aussie
Rules is still the supreme sport in Australia"